The Sergeant's Son
by Lochlyn
Summary: What might happen if Dean Parker ever wanted to get in touch with his Dad. Takes place right after "Planets Aligned".
1. Chapter 1

Obviously I'm not connected in any way with Flashpoint, and I so don't own anything

_I checked out the ctv.ca website, and there is all this information about the characters on Flashpoint, so I thought it might be interesting to use that to write about Parker's relationship with his son. I'm not sure if this will be a one chapter or two. Who knows? Please review. _

**Dean Parker**

I remember him. Vaguely. I was 10 when we left. 10 when we moved to a new country. Texas was much different than Toronto. People spoke a whole lot different than they did in Toronto. It wasn't just that. Most people had a dad. I didn't.

I got that question the third day I went to my new school. The '_what does your dad do_?'. I told them. My dad's a Sergeant with the Police Strategic Response Unit in Toronto. The next question was usually, '_what's he doing there_?'. "Living his life", was always my response.

The years progressed slowly, and the good memories I had started to fade. Those good memories were replaced by anger. Lots of anger, mixed with a lot of hurt. My mom was always angry when she talked about him. Then, when I was 13, all mention of him stopped. I kept hoping that he would come to Texas and that we would be a family again. I waited and waited for him for so long. 3 long years and he never came. That's when I began to rethink my relationship with my dad.

I remember my first day of high school. Some boy asked me what my dad did for a living. I knew what to say: '_I have no Dad. He's dead to me'_. That seemed to stop all the questions. I liked that part. Having to answer no questions meant that I could stop thinking about him. When I stopped thinking about him, the anger and hurt began to fade.

I remember that he drank. I vividly remember that part. There were never any bottles hanging around the house, just empty ones in the garbage can. A lot of empty bottles. Mom always cleaned up after him.

I remember that he was angry a lot of the time. Sometimes he was angry at me, even when I didn't do anything wrong. My mom said that it wasn't my fault. So if it wasn't my fault, then whose fault was it?

Mom said that he loved his work more than he loved us. What kind of man does that? Who likes negotiating more than a wife and son? I used to think that I wasn't good enough for him to love me. Maybe if I was extra good, he would love me more than his work.

When I was 14 the letters started to come. The first arrived on my birthday. My mom kept the first one for three days before she wrote, "return to sender", on the front and sent it back to wherever it came from. Was it so wrong of me to not remember the house address where I spent the first 10 years of my life?

I was always curious about the letters. What could he want now? Did I want to let him back in my life? Mom never asked me what I wanted. She just kept writing "return to sender" on the front of every letter that came and I just let her.

I lost count after the first 5 letters that came. They were spaced a couple of months apart. I was torn. My Mom said that he wouldn't change. He was incapable of change and that it was better that I didn't have him in my life. I wasn't so sure. My Mom went on dates, but there was never anyone that would become a stepdad to me.

So I did what every teenage boy does when he's not looking at porn on the internet, I searched for information about my dad on the internet. There was a video on the internet that someone took using their phone. I played it, and as I watched it I realized that this moment was the first time I had seen my Dad in over 7 years. He looked different. Less hair. Hope I don't lose my hair!

He was talking down some crazy lunatic holding a woman hostage in the middle of a square. He didn't look like the man I remembered. But, then again, I never saw my dad in action, doing what he loved.

Three days ago I went with my class to Quebec City. It was the grade 10 retreat. When we got our free afternoon, my plan was put into action. I told my best friend where I was going. I used my fake id, purchased a bus ticket and left. I knew it was wrong, but this was the only chance I got.

So when the bus got to Toronto, I got off and followed the mass of people heading north to the subway. I researched everything - how to get there. I picked up my phone and dialled the number I memorized in case I lost the paper I wrote it down on.

"Toronto Police, Station 5, how can I direct your call?"

"I'm wondering if Sergeant Gregory Parker is in today?"

"He's on duty, would you like to leave a message?"

I hang up. No I didn't want to leave a message. I didn't even know what to say. What kind of message do you leave for a person you've haven't seen for 7 years. '_Hey, do you still drunk and get angry?'_

I stopped moving when I stood in front of the Station. I'm really here. I can't wimp out now. I've pulled to much crap to not go through with this.

The first few steps into the building are the hardest. So many cops. So many guns. So many people staring at me.

"Dean, Dean Parker?"

I look at the man. He's completely bald. I remember him, somewhat. He worked with my dad and had a son a few years younger than me. I nod my head. "You looking for your Dad, Dean?"

The girl with him just keeps looking at me. She's hot. The blonde guy beside her keeps looking at me like he's going to shoot me or something. I've had enough.

"This was a bad idea. I'm outta here."

"Wait." Ed says in that boss like voice I remember he has. "Sam…" he whispers to the guy beside him just loud enough for me to actually hear.

"On it, sir."

I didn't even see the girl move behind me as I make my move to leave the station.

"Get out of my way!" I feel boxed in. This feeling wasn't supposed to happen. It's too much. I want to run but my feet are frozen.

"I'm Jules. I work with your Dad." She smiles at me. Wow. She has a great smile. "They let girls on the team?"

"They do if they can shoot as well as them. So how did you get here? It doesn't look like you brought much with you." Jules asked.

I looked her over. She was a lot shorter than me. "The bus."

"Ed, Sergeant Parker is heading to the airport for Dallas," some woman behind the desk says.

"Dallas?" Was he headed to see me, I wonder?

"He got tired of getting his letters returned, Dean. He's going there to see you." Ed says. "Sally –"

"Already on it, sir. The airport won't let him get on the plane. Don't worry."

"Come on kid, let's go to the briefing room." Ed points in the direction I'm supposed to walk in like some little kid.

"I'm not a kid, man."

"You're right. But your Mom probably doesn't see it that way. You want to call her, or you want your Dad to?"

"I called her when I got off the bus." It's a total lie, and I think Ed can see right through me. "She doesn't want to speak to him," I feel compelled to add.

I watch as Ed nods his head. He probably believes that part.

We reach the briefing room. It's a lot smaller than I expected.

"Sit here and wait for him, Dean. I've got my two best snipers watching you so you don't skip out on us."

"I'm not going anywhere, man." Jules and Sam have parked themselves outside the briefing room.

"Good. I'll hold you to your word Dean."

45 minutes later, I watched as my Dad, Sergeant Greg Parker, walked into the briefing room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for the lovely reviews. They mean a lot. **

**Sergeant Greg Parker**

When the flight attendant came to my seat I thought it was a mistake. When she addressed me as Sergeant Gregory Parker I knew there was no mistake. I barely made this flight on time and now I was asked to exit the plane. She said it would be explained to me when I exited. I was torn. I made up my mind to see my son. Ed was right. I had to see him face to face, even if all it would accomplish was letting him yell at me for everything I did wrong. At least face to face I could see how my son turned out. The other half of me knew that the only way I would be tracked down on a plane was if something major was going on with my team. I couldn't stay in my seat. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to my team that I could prevent.

When I exited the plane and the attendant told me I had a call from the SRU, it was as if I was on autopilot. I expected to hear the worst news a Sergeant could possibly hear – that one of my team member's was badly injured, or more horrifying, that a team member was dead. I took the phone from the attendant hesitantly. I needed to make sure my team was safe.

"Sergeant Parker", I said into the phone.

"Boss, you need to come back to the Station."

It was Eddie. His voice seemed fine. A little agitated, but boarding on normal. That was a good sign. "Everyone okay Ed? The team okay?"

"What? Yes, yes. We're all good Greg. It's not that kind of call. You just…look, get a cab, okay, and get your ass back here. It's important."

I worked with Eddie for a long time now and knew when he was excited. Something was up. "I'll get a cab. Do I get to know what I got off the plane for now?"

"It's about Dean. He's-"

"Is he alright?"

"He's fine boss." Ed paused and I held my breath waiting for him to continue. "He's here."

The flight attendant who was patiently waiting for the call to be over, was the one who picked the phone off the floor and hung up for me. At least I think she hung up. I might have accidently hung up on Ed on my own.

How ridiculous was this situation? I'm trained not to get frazzled. I'm trained to remain calm. I'm trained to handle high levels of stress. Yet, when I heard Ed's response, I can't even remember dropping the phone. I mean, I must have. How else would it have ended up on the floor?

I looked at the flight attendant. "I need a cab!"

I saw her mouth move, but I can't recall the words that came out. I simply followed her as she set out walking.

Ed met me at the door.

"He's here and he's safe boss".

I nodded. Safe was good. "How'd he get here?"

"Spike says he came through customs 3 days ago with his school. He used a fake id to board a bus. Get this – he used the name Peter, with the ultimate last name of Parker! Can you imagine if you had actually named him that? I'm lucky we had a boy, cuz Sophie's mother's name was Lois, and there's no way I'd name my kid Lois Lane!"

Ed was trying to get me to calm down. It was working. "Ed…he's here. I mean, he's actually here." I stopped walking. I couldn't deal with all of this being a misunderstanding. Not after booking the flight, packing hastily, and barely making the flight on time.

"He's here boss. I've seen him with my own eyes. He even has your swagger when he walks. It's real alright. And he's taking this better than you. He's a lot more calmer than you right now."

"He's my son!"

Ed just looked at me. "Don't, Ed. I'm fine. I'm not nervous ". I resumed walking to the briefing room.

"I didn't say anything boss."

"He's my son, Ed!"

"I know."

"No you don't!" I was suddenly so angry. Angry with myself for letting 7 full years go by without actually doing something to remedy the situation. "He's my son! 7 years I've waited to see him. I lost him and now he's here. The day I almost give up is the day he walks through the doors of the SRU on his own? It's just too much of a coincidence."

"Hey, he came by himself. He's ready to listen. There's no ex-wife to run interference. This is the chance you've wanted for a long time. Are you going to let nerves stand in your way?"

"What if he doesn't understand?" I didn't actually mean to say that out loud. It just sort of happened. Another flag that was telling me that I was not in control of the situation and that I had better get a hold on it.

"Then you'll make him. This is what you do Greg. You love him. Right now he's confused, angry, and desperately wants to connect with his Dad. Just talk."

"I can do that." I stopped just short of the wall closest to the briefing room. I could see Sam and Jules, talking to one another. It looked like they were making sure Dean had no way of getting by them. "Two snipers Ed?"

"What? The way your kid looked at Jules, I figured he wouldn't hit on her with the Rookie around."

I laughed as Ed shrugged his shoulders. Only my lead sniper would feel it necessary to box in a 16 year old boy and post snipers, albeit out of uniform but still with their weapon, in front of the only exit the briefing room has.

"But Jules is too old for him."

"Hey, I'm just calling it as I see it! Stop procrastinating and get in there."

He was right, and I knew it. I walked up to the where Sam and Jules were. They saw me coming and stood up.

"Thanks guys."

"No problem Sergeant. Let's go Sam."

"What? Now? But I want to see what's going to happen!"

That's what's great about Sam. He's totally honest and calls things as they happen. Sometimes I think he should, or more accurately, could, censor some of what comes out of his mouth, but this time, he managed to put me at ease with his offhand sense of propriety. I silently thanked Jules as she grabbed him by the sleeve and yanked him away from the briefing room.

Now there was just a piece of glass between my son and me. We both stared at each other. He no longer looked like the 10 year old boy I remembered. He was taller, stockier, and looked like me. More hair, but he looked like me. A thousand questions were running though my head: what's your favourite colour? Do you love hockey? Is there someone special in your life? What do you want to do with your life? Is there still a chance that you might still love me?

Dean had already taken the first step by coming to me, so I took the second step by going into the briefing room with the expectation that everything would work itself out. Maybe not right away, and maybe not in a simple fashion, but it would work out. I will not allow myself to fail my son again.


	3. Chapter 3

**3****rd**** Person Point of View**

Throughout his life, Gregory Parker never wanted to be the one to say the wrong thing. Being a negotiator, the stakes rose exponentially. To say the wrong thing, to let one's emotions get in the way, to become too personal, or to stay too detached could all trigger the wrong effect and could get people hurt or killed. Looking at his son, really being able to finally look at his son, Parker realized just how much of a stranger he truly was. While he wasn't at a total loss of what he wanted to say to Dean, he was at a loss of how to start the conversation flowing. Deep down, Parker knew that no matter what he said Dean, he would, inevitably, say the wrong thing.

Parker took exactly four steps into the briefing room before his son panicked.

"Don't come any closer." It wasn't said in anger or hurt. It was said defensively. It was said as a way to protect Dean from Parker.

Dean didn't know why he blurted that out. While on one hand, he wanted his father to stay far away from him, on the other hand, he wanted to physically take a punch at the guy. Mostly, Dean didn't know if he wanted his father any closer than what he was.

Parker desperately wanted to be closer to his son. He realized that he didn't have to say the wrong thing. Just by being close to his son was causing Dean's sense of self to feel violated, betrayed, and completely untrustworthy.

Parker knew that the physical distance between them allowed Dean to feel more in control, and therefore calmer. He knew what it was like to want that space, as he came across it all the time as a negotiator.

Parker couldn't help but stare at his son. He didn't know what kind of mental state the boy was in now, but he knew that he had to wait for him to make the first move. The seconds seemed to drag on.

"You were coming to Dallas?" Dean finally said. The tone was questioning, daring Parker to admit that it was he, if Dean was not in Canada, who would have made the first move to get in touch with each other.

"I was," Parker nodded. He took a half step towards Dean. Dean didn't notice.

"Why now?"

One of the questions that plagued Parker. Why did he wait so long, so many empty years, to see his son? What was the reason behind the hasty decision to fly down to Dallas and force an encounter with his estranged son? Parker choose to be honest. It was the only thing he had going for him. "I needed to see you."

"What for?"

What did Parker need to see Dean for? Was it selfish to want to see how your son turned out? Did he want Dean to yell and punish him for all the things that went wrong by his hand alone? Did he need forgiveness? "I wrote you letters," was the best Parker could come up with.

"I never got the chance to read them." Dean acknowledged that he knew of the letters, but did he really want his father to know the role his mother played in them? In his life?

"What do you mean?"

"Mom always sent them back."

Inwardly Parker sighed. The one thing negotiating had taught him, was to never argue with the subject. Parker suspected that Dean told him the information about his ex-wife with the intent to see what kind of response he would give. "The letters explained things a lot better than I am doing right now, Dean."

Dean paused. It felt weird to hear his name come from his father's lips. But the name did what it was intended to do and softened Dean. Parker was finding his connection to the boy.

"I think you're doing fine," Dean said.

Parker allowed a small grin to form on his lips. Even though his son was not willing to call him Dad at the moment, he was willing to give him a chance. Parker wanted to close the gap between them and throw his arms around him more than anything in the world. He wanted to tell Dean how much he loved him, but he didn't want his son to get spooked.

"I'm not sure why I came. I just want to know." It seemed that Dean was so nervous about this meeting that he was saying whatever happened to pop into his head.

"Know what?"

"If you changed."

"Do you believe people can change?"

"I want to believe it, but I'm not sure. I hate you, you know that?"

Parker knew that Dean was merely reacting to the situation at hand. He wanted to calm him down. "I can accept that. I don't like it, but I can accept your feelings."

"Yeah well, I don't want you to accept it. You should have come to Dallas sooner. You abandoned me!"

"I didn't want to. It wasn't my intention. I was in a bad state Dean."

"Those are excuses."

"You're right. They are. But they're more than my excuses Dean. They're the reason that I am the man that stands here today. Everything changed the moment you and your mom left. How I saw the world changed that day. How I saw myself…who I was, was fundamentally altered the day you left."

"We didn't leave. We ran, you know. I remember physically running. Packing, crying, watching mom cry, I remember those things too. You were a bastard, you know. That's what she remembers. She used to say that often. Then she stopped talking about you altogether."

"Does she know that you're here?" Parker knew of course that she didn't. He knew he should have called her the moment he got back to the station, but his heart wouldn't let him. To have this chance with Dean was worth whatever wrath his ex could heap on him for that decision.

"You don't get to do that! You don't get to play the concerned parent anymore! You don't – "

"You think I don't get that! You think it doesn't kill me a little each day knowing what I lost! I get what I did Dean. I get what I did to your mom, and I get what I did to you! But I'm trying. I want to try harder. Please, you got to let me try."

This was what Dean wanted. He wanted his father to beg. He wanted his father to beg for him. This was the missing piece that Dean had been searching for. And this was the piece that made him crumble.

"It's too late!" Dean yelled. But did he mean it?

* * *

_This story is already an extra chapter then i figured it would be. I just can't help writing some more. I think it would be great if the writer's on Flashpoint actually brought in Parker's son as a character. Still hoping that Flashpoint comes back on tv soon!!!!_


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